Time to catch up...

Finally I am feeling half normal again and yesterday I managed to spend some time outside. The weather was lovely and warm, perfect for pottering around outside.
I spent most of my time checking on what's happened while I've been ill for the past couple of weeks and when I saw all the jobs that needed doing I decided to write a list, this will give me a purpose each time I go out rather than wandering around aimlessly and getting nothing done.
By the time I'd got to number 42 though I gave up!
42 jobs so far and those aren't even things like seed sowing or scarifying the garden, they're huge projects like replanting the borders and building a new compost bay - I think I may have set myself too many tasks and if that's the case I'll get demoralised and nothing will get done, again!
So instead of doing jobs here there and everywhere a bit at a time I've decided that i will concentrate on jobs in the actual garden first as this is the area we have to look at all the time - well that's the theory anyway!

Anyway, I had another look at those 6 Garlic cloves I planted earlier in the year, I'm amazed they're still growing and showing no signs of rot or death yet. This is the first time I've ever got Garlic growing even to this height

Wish I'd planted loads more now!

And remember those Dogwood cuttings I took here? well every single one of them is showing signs of growth - this is another first for me as I have never been able to propagate it with any success

Dogwood cuttings

And what about those Olive cuttings I did at the same time as the Dogwood? Well, I can't really tell if they're rooting but they're certainly not dead - or at least they don't look it!

Olive cuttings.

As well as checking on things I also managed to find the energy to cut some Willow ready for a Willow fedge (though I'm now thinking maybe a Willow fedge is not a good idea. I need the Willow to help with the boggy area but Willow is terrible for any kind of hedging in my opinion, it just never looks quite right).
I haven't decided if the Fedge will actually go ahead yet so I've just stuck the Willow in a bucket of water for now, they'll be happy there and will start to root pretty soon at which time I can decide whether to pot them up or plant them out.

40 willow whips waiting on my decision, next to the filtered seaweed tea.

I also strained off that Seaweed tea which didn't smell anywhere near as bad as I thought it would. It's now waiting in containers to be put to use but I'm not sure what the shelf life is and how quickly I need to get it used up, I think maybe it's something I should have put off until the summer months when I can actually use it.

Today is another dry day, not as sunny as yesterday but that just makes the polytunnel more comfortable to be in (it got reeeeeeally warm in there yesterday) so I think I'll do some potting up and seed sowing.  Oh wait, I'm supposed to be concentrating on the main garden - oops!

Anyway I will leave you for the moment with a piccie of my garden helper. He helps an awful lot around the garden, what with his digging and pooping (insert sarcastic face) and never really gets the credit he deserves, so here he is

Huntly! My best pal.......holding his best pal - Fimble.

Garlic & buckets of tea!

One of the many plants I've never managed to grow is Garlic. I know, I know, it's supposed to be darned easy but nope, I've never got a bulb to even peek out of the ground.
That was it, after several ridiculous attempts and the blinkin blighters doing absolutely nowt I gave up - I'll buy the darned stuff.
Then a few weeks ago I perusing another gardening blog - Fromseedtoscrumptious -  and this guy - George - was chucking bucketloads of garlic into the ground, covering it and had amazing results. It seemed that this guy could grow Garlic like I can grow weeds!
So I thought why not give it one more try? Only this time I wasn't buying garlic bulbs not when I had shop bought ones in the fridge. Yes I know that apparantly this isn't the right way to do things and I could possibly be setting myself up for another failure but I figured I'd plant 6 cloves - yes, a measly 6 cloves. I figured 6 cloves would take up no room so when they failed I wouldn't miss them any.
Well, I lifted the netting of the bed in the polytunnel today and look what welcomed me

OK so I know they're not exactly anything to get peeing your pants excited about but believe me, that's the best I've ever managed to grow. In fact if they all die from this point on I'll still be chuffed that they even chose to grow - wish I'd planted 6 bulbs now instead of a measly 6 cloves.

On another exciting note - ok exciting for me - here are 2 of buckets of Seaweed tea brewing happily away.

All I did was fill the buckets to halfway with Seaweed - I didn't even bother rinsing it first because the salt levels really aren't high enough to bother about - and then filled them to the top with water and covered them over. The stench from these as they brew is gonna be a bit stinky.
As my hosepipe has been put away for the winter and the house is way away from the polytunnel I used water from the pond to fill the buckets.
This pond is a real convenience to my polytunnel, it is completely natural, drains the land and has no liners. We think at some point in the past a previous owner may have created it by digging it out at the corner of the water ditch that comes through the land. The pond does have the ability to run off into another ditch and carry on through to Shelligeo burn further down the land should it overfill.

 

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Nifty thrifty things.